Coleraine
Typical rural service centre
Coleraine is a rural service centre of about
1000 people located 94 metres above sea-level in
a picturesque valley at the foot of the
tablelands. It is 359 km west of Melbourne via
the Western and Glenelg Highways and 34 km west
of Hamilton. The surrounding area is given over
to pastoral and agricultural industries.
The Jardwadjali people are thought to have
occupied this area prior to white settlement.
The first Europeans were the party of surveyor
Thomas Mitchell which passed through the area
during the Australia Felix expedition of 1836.
Mitchell then headed south and encountered the
Henty brothers at Portland. His reports of good
pasturage encouraged them to move inland in
1837, marking the start of European settlement
in the Western district. They took up 28 000 ha
of land to the west of present-day Coleraine and
an original homestead, 'Muntham', still stands
between Coleraine and Casterton.
The first white squatter on the land was
James Bryan, a brother-in-law of the Hentys. He
arrived in 1839 and built a home near the
present showgrounds. In 1840 the Whyte brothers
took over the run which was broken up into
smaller estates in the 1840s.
As was the case throughout Australia, the
indigenous people lost access to their lands as
a result of white settlement and so occasionally
fed upon the sheep which gradually displaced
their traditional food sources. In retaliation
for what whites saw as 'theft' a massacre of
some 30 Aborigines occurred on one of these
properties. They were allegedly shot with bolts,
nails and gravel loaded into a cannon. Protector
of Aborigines, George Robinson, remarked that
the majority of stories about Aboriginal 'theft'
in the area were "grossly fallacious or
shamelessly exaggerated". A second massacre
occurred about 10 km north of Coleraine where
Konongwootong Reservoir is now located. By 1857
James Bonwick observed that "The tribe is nearly
extinct" and he reflected upon the degree to
which alcoholism had spread through the
community as the traditional culture collapsed.
By 1856 the Whytes had sold up. James Whyte
later became premier of Tasmania. However, by
that time, the township of Coleraine had emerged
on Bryans Creek. Initially known as Bryans Creek
Crossing it was surveyed in 1853 by Lindsay
Clarke who renamed it after a town in Northern
Ireland.
Coleraine became famous as a venue for
horseracing particularly as the home of the
Great Western Steeplechase which was first run
in 1857. This race followed a circuit through
the town, over gardens and paddock fences. Noted
poet Adam Lindsay Gordon was a regular and
distinguished rider in the event prior to his
suicide in 1870. Two of his poems are based
around the steeplechase: 'The Fields of
Coleraine' and 'Banker's Dream'.
Another distinguished visitor in the town's
early days was Louis Buvelot whose painting 'Waterpool
Near Coleraine' depicts a waterhole on Bryans
Creek. It was purchased by the National Gallery
in Melbourne in 1871 and is now owned by the
National Gallery in Canberra.
The Land Acts of 1864 and 1865 enabled the
break-up of the enormous estates of the Western
District pastoralists for closer settlement,
although the process was slow. The Coleraine
State School was established in 1878 and the
railway arrived in 1882.
Beautician Helena Rubinstein, who later
founded a remarkable cosmetics empire, was a
Polish immigrant who arrived in Australia at the
age of 18 in the late 1880s. She initially lived
with and worked for her uncle at his grocery
shop in Coleraine. She moved on to Melbourne
after three years where she opened her first
beauty salon. The building in which she worked
is still standing near the bridge in Whyte St.
A cheese factory opened at Coleraine in 1892
and the local dairying industry received a
further boost with compulsory subdivision in
1910. More stations were subdivided in 1923 for
British Army officers. Former prime minister
Malcolm Fraser lived on one of these properties
to the north of town for many years.
Coleraine has a good quality golf course and
a picturesque and popular racecourse 3 km east
of town.
Things to see:
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Tourist Information
The Coleraine Tourism Exhibition Centre is
located in the old railway station (1882) in
Pilleau St. It is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00
p.m. daily and sells a range of local arts and
crafts, tel: (03) 5575 2733.
The Eucalypt Discovery Centre
The Eucalypt Discovery Centre is located in the
former shire offices in the main street (Whyte
St). It is an interpretive centre which operates
as a companion to the Peter Francis Points
Arboretum (see next entry). There are two
Discovery Rooms. One focuses on the natural
history of eucalypts in their ecosystems and the
second on the economic uses to which eucalypts
are put (timber, eucalyptus oil etc). There are
interactive computer games, other interactive
displays for children, videos, slide-viewers, a
reference library and a good range of
merchandise for sale. The centre is designed for
casual visitors but also has an educational
program for school groups. Entry is free and it
is open daily, tel: (03) 5575 2222.
Peter Francis Points Arboretum
The excellent Peter Francis Points Arboretum (37
ha) is situated on a hill overlooking the town.
It is signposted opposite the post office in
Whyte St.
It contains over 12 000 native plants and has
over 400 eucalypt species. The range of soil
types, orientations and topography in the
arboretum have enabled the growth of vegetation
types from differing Australian habitats. There
are spotted gum, mallee eucalypts, tall-forest
eucalypts, snow gums, mallet eucalypts, brittle
gums, yellow gums, ironbarks, lemon-scented
gums, woolybutts, tallow woods, karri, acacias,
grevilleas, banksias, hakeas, melaleucas,
prosthantheras, correas, native pines,
kurrajongs, calistemon, indigenous wildflowers,
persoonias, dryland plants and a section devoted
to small colourful natives.
As you enter the grounds a roadway veers off
to the left to a parking area. Adjacent is the
office and a picnic area. There is a barbecue
shelter with coin-operated barbecues, a shelter
shed, toilets, walkways and children's play
facilities. If you ignore this turnoff the main
vehicle track continues north to the lookout on
the eastern side of the arboretum. It offers
excellent views of the surrounding district,
including the Grampians to the north-east.
Four walking tracks start from the shelter
shed at the picnic area. If you follow the blue
arrows they will take you west to the Shadehouse
via the Aboriginal Plant Uses Walk (1 km) then
back. The yellow arrows lead through the
Grevillea Walk, on to the Shadehouse then steer
you north-east via the lookout and back to the
shelter shed (2.2 km). The orange arrows take
you straight to the lookout and back (1 km).
There is also a track with wheelchair access to
the shadehouse via Lindner Track and return (1
km). A pamphlet which outlines the layout of the
arboretum and the course of the walking tracks
is available from the Eucalyptus Discovery
Centre.
Glenelg Fine Confectionery
The Glenelg Chocolate Factory is a popular
stopover for visitors and locals. It is open
daily, located in Whyte St and sells gift boxes
and packaged chocolates, tel: (03) 5575 2598.
Old Blacksmith's Shop
The old blacksmith's shop dates from 1888 when
it was built by Matthew Cooke to replace a
previous blacksmith's which was destroyed by a
storm. It remained in the family until the 1980s
and retains its original equipment. This timber
workshop has a gabled roof and a skillion
attached on the east side. The large doors of
the skillion were for the access of horse-drawn
vehicles and other equipment. The roof is
corrugated iron with a ventilated ridge and the
floor is earthen. It is located at 91 Whyte St
and is open by appointment. The intact machinery
can be fired up and demonstrated for coach
groups, tel: (03) 5575 0233.
Museum
The local historical society have a museum
display which is located in the old courthouse,
adjacent the post office in Whyte St. It is open
by appointment, tel: (03) 5575 2160 or (03) 5575
2634.
Churches
The town has three churches of historic
interest: Holy Trinity Church of England (1865)
at the corner of Church and Henty Sts, St
Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1892) at the
corner of Church and Winter Sts, and St Joseph's
Roman Catholic Church (1888) in Read St.
Adam Lindsay Gordon Monument
On the main road, at the eastern edge of town,
is an obelisk which commemorates Adam Lindsay
Gordon, a 19th-century poet who developed a
reputation as a distinguished rider in the
town's Great Western Steeplechase prior to his
suicide in 1870. Two of his poems are based
around the race: 'The Fields of Coleraine' and
'Banker's Dream'.
Glenview Yabby Farm
Glenview Yabby Farm is located 2 km west of town
along the Glenelg Highway. They are usually open
but are closed for remodelling until March or
April 2000, tel: (03) 5575 2624.
Konongwootong Reservoir
Konongwootong Reservoir is the town's water
supply, although a prolonged dry spell has seen
the water level decline in recent years. It is a
popular trout fishing spot with picnicking
facilities and is located about 10 km north of
town on the Harrow/Edenhope Road. A massacre of
Aborigines is said to have occurred at this site
in the 1840s.
Tahara Herb Farm
Tahara Herb Farm sells a large range of herbs
and cottage plants and 20 varieties of lavender.
There is a picnic area. It is open from 9.00
a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily and located on the
Portland Road 13 km from Coleraine, tel: (03)
5575 4257.
Wannon Falls
About 15 km east of Coleraine, via the Glenelg
Highway, is a signposted turnoff to Wannon
Falls, located just off the highway. They can be
very impressive, particularly in winter (the
flow may become a trickle in mid-summer). There
is a koala reserve, a sports area, a playground
and picnic-barbecue area. Kangaroos abound and
both swimming and fishing can be enjoyed.
Several viewing platforms have been carved out
of the cliff face.
The Red Gum Craft and Training Centre
The Red Gum Craft and Training Centre is about
to be established in the town's original shire
offices (1874) in Whyte St (these are earlier
offices than those now used by the Eucalypt
Discovery Centre). There will be furniture
restoration, displays of local wood-craft
products, demonstrations of woodturning and
training in such arts. It is due to open in
March 2000.
